While the great medieval philosopher, theologian, and physician Maimonides is acknowledged as a leading Jewish thinker, his intellectual contacts with his surrounding world are often described as related primarily to Islamic philosophy. This title demonstrates that he was deeply influenced not only by Islamic philosophy but by Islamic culture.
This book endeavors to identify and define the phenomenon of freethinking in medieval Islam, in particular as exemplified in the figures of the two most notorious intellectual heretics, Ibn al-Rāwandī (9th C.) and Abū Bakr al-Rāzī (10th C.).The development of Islamic freethinking is analyzed on the background of the paramount importance of prophetology in Islam. The book examines the image of the freethinkers in Islam and its connection to the legacy of late antiquity, and to the traditions about Indian and Sabian religions. The last chapters examine repercussions of his phenomenon in various aspects of Muslim, Jewish and Christian medieval thought.It is argued that, despite its rare occurrence, freethinking was in fact a pivotal Islamic phenomenon, which had a major impact on the development of Islamic thought.
An integrative approach to Jewish and Muslim philosophy in al-AndalusAl-Andalus, the Iberian territory ruled by Islam from the eighth to the fifteenth centuries, was home to a flourishing philosophical culture among Muslims and the Jews who lived in their midst. Andalusians spoke proudly of the region's excellence, and indeed it engendered celebrated thinkers such as Maimonides and Averroes. Sarah Stroumsa offers an integrative new approach to Jewish and Muslim philosophy in al-Andalus, where the cultural commonality of the Islamicate world allowed scholars from diverse religious backgrounds to engage in the same philosophical pursuits.Stroumsa traces the development of philosophy in Muslim Iberia from its introduction to the region to the diverse forms it took over time, from Aristotelianism and Neoplatonism to rational theology and mystical philosophy. She sheds light on the way the politics of the day, including the struggles with the Christians to the north of the peninsula and the Fāṭimids in North Africa, influenced philosophy in al-Andalus yet affected its development among the two religious communities in different ways.While acknowledging the dissimilar social status of Muslims and members of the religious minorities, Andalus and Sefarad highlights the common ground that united philosophers, providing new perspective on the development of philosophy in Islamic Spain.
Denktraditionen des Mittelalters im Austausch zwischen Islam, Judentum und Christentum
Das Buch ist Teil des Bestrebens, die Geistesgeschichte der verschiedenen Religionsgemeinschaften der mittelalterlichen islamischen Welt auf integrative Weise zu erzahlen. Aus unterschiedlichen Blickwinkeln beleuchtet es den tiefgreifenden intellektuellen Austausch, der diese Epoche pragt. Durch die Einbeziehung der judischen, muslimischen und christlichen philosophischen und theologischen Traditionen bietet sich ein vollstandigeres und nuancierteres Bild dieser Zeit, das traditionelle wissenschaftliche Ansichten korrigieren hilft.
Die Umstände, unter denen sich die Wissenschaften und die Philosophie bei den Juden und Muslimen im mittelalterlichen Spanien entwickelt haben, werden meist als getrennte Probleme untersucht. Die Beziehungen zwischen den Intellektuellen überschritten jedoch die Grenzen der religiösen Gemeinschaften. Ihre Bibliotheken haben seit dem 10. Jahrhundert eine gemeinsame Geschichte. In ihrem Essay plädiert die angesehene Rektorin der Hebräischen Universität Jerusalem für einen intergrativen Ansatz bei der Erforschung der islamischen Philosophie in al-Andalus. Dieser Jahresband des AMIGJ enthält auch den Institutsbericht 2009 mit einem vollständigen Verzeichnis aller Aktivitäten und Publikationen.